NWBIB. Insurance Brokers TERMS OF BUSINESS

Transcription

1 NWBIB Insurance Brokers TERMS OF BUSINESS Who we are and how to contact us NWBIB Ltd The Boardwalk, Cambridge Research Park, Cambridge CB25 9PD Phone: Fax: The Financial Conduct Authority regulates nancial services. NWBIB Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our Financial Services Register number is and you can check our status and permissions at or by contacting the FCA on Our permitted business includes advising, arranging and assisting with the placing and administration of general insurance policies. We are also authorised to undertake certain Consumer Credit activities. Where these are undertaken we act as a credit broker not lender and only as an introducer. We do not charge for this service. Our Services We are an Independent Insurance Intermediary. Occasionally we will act as the agent of the Insurer or another intermediary and when required to do so we will advise you when this applies. The services we provide include: Ÿ Advising on your insurance requirements Ÿ Arranging your insurance cover Ÿ Helping you with any ongoing changes Ÿ Helping you with your claim Where we have delegated claims authority we will act as agents of the insurers. We do not normally help you to recover any uninsured losses. However, for motor policies we offer an option to purchase cover for this service from our recommended provider. We usually offer advice from a range of insurers, representing a fair analysis of the market, however, under certain circumstances we may only deal with a limited panel, or single insurer. We will con rm, for each individual policy we provide you with, the basis of our advice or if issued, this will be stated in our Initial Disclosure Document. We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your demands and needs. Our advice will be con rmed in a demands & needs and suitability statement, giving reasons for our recommendation. In respect of Legal Expenses and Motor

2 Breakdown policies you will not receive advice or a recommendation from us and you will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed. Consumer Credit Act (applicable to Consumers taking Personal Lines policies and Commercial policies for individuals, Sole Traders and small Partnerships). We may use providers who will conduct a credit check, which will be recorded on your credit record. Please contact us if you do NOT consent to a credit check being undertaken, however this may affect our ability to offer instalment facilities to you. In relation to the provision of credit, we offer only the facilities provided by Insurers, or those of Premium Credit Ltd Con rmation of Cover We will provide you with cover notes and written con rmation that cover has been effected and the terms thereof as well as the insurers involved You agree to review all information upon receipt and advise us immediately if the details of the cover do not meet with your approval, or do not re ect the instructions previously given to us, and particularly if any cover you require is excluded. Payment of Premium We will advise you of all premiums due from you to Insurers by means of an invoice. We normally accept payment by cheque, electronic transfer or most credit and debit cards. You may also be able to spread your payments through an instalment or credit nancing scheme. We will give full information about your payment options when we discuss your insurance requirements. Please Note: Your policy cover will cease if you fail to keep up payments on an instalment agreement or premium nance facility related to it. Where we offer facilities for paying by instalments we will provide you with the details and where we have only considered one provider this will be advised to you. The premium is due on attachment of cover. In order that we can settle with Insurers we will require payment of the premium immediately or within the terms of credit speci ed on the invoice or covering letter. We must stress that breach of any payment terms may enable insurers to void the policy from inception of cover. You agree that the settlement of premiums in good time is your responsibility. In the majority of cases we act as agent of the insurer when collecting or refunding premiums. This means that while your money is with us it is treated by the insurer as having been paid to them. If your insurer does not provide this facility, we will hold your money in a Statutory Trust bank account before passing it to the insurer. The account will protect your money in the unlikely event of the failure of this rm or failure of the bank. We will exercise due care & diligence in selecting an appropriate bank but we cannot be held responsible for the bank's failure and will not be liable to refund money to you on behalf of the bank. Our Fees and other Charges We are normally remunerated by a commission paid to us by the insurer with whom your insurance is placed. For policies where the commission received makes the business uneconomical to handle, we will normally make an additional administrative charge. Any fees charged will be reasonable and we will always advise you in advance. We normally also make the following additional administrative charges: Arranging new policies 10 Mid term adjustments 10

3 Mid term cancellations and other refunds are refunded NET of Commission and in addition, we usually charge a 15 administration fee. Renewal 10 Replacement/duplicate certi cates or cover notes 10 Payment by Credit Cards 1.5% surcharge Policies cancelled during the 'Right to Cancel' period will be subject to an administration charge of 15, in addition to the premium charged by the insurer for the period of cover provided. Occasionally we may arrange a policy on which we earn no commission (a'netpremium policy') and in these cases we will advise you of the arrangement fee before you take the policy out. Speci c charges, which apply to individual policies will be shown in our quotation letter/report applicable to that policy. The speci c charge and purpose of any additional charges will always be advised to you in advance. We may also be entitled to bene t from: Ÿ Earnings which we are able to generate due to the weight of an account placed with certain markets and its underwriting performance, or volume of business placed with premium nance providers which are not identi able to any speci c account; and Ÿ Earnings which we are able to generate through management of cash balances held on behalf of Insurers and clients which are not identi able to any speci c account. In the normal course of operating as brokers we sometimes ask other brokers to assist us in responding to your instructions where we believe this is to your bene t. Unless a fee arrangement has been agreed these brokers will usually be remunerated by brokerage which will be included in the premiums charged. We may also charge a fee for other services and administration. These will always be reasonable and will always be advised to you in advance. Claims It is essential that claims, or circumstances which could give rise to a claim, are noti ed immediately. Such noti cation should include all facts concerning the claim. Failure to do so may entitle the insurers to deny claims. Your Policy wordings will describe in detail the procedures and conditions attaching to making a claim. We will provide a claims handling service for as long as you remain a customer of NWBIB and we will: Ÿ If you wish us to do so, give you guidance in pursuing a claim under the policy; Ÿ Handle claims fairly and promptly and keep you informed of their progress; Ÿ Inform you in writing if we are unable to deal with any part of a claim; Ÿ Account to you, without avoidable delay, once a claim has been agreed and settled Claims settlement will be dependent upon collection from Insurers. Part payments may be made during the collection process and we cannot be responsible for the wrongful nonpayment or delay in payment of any claim by Insurers. Claims payments where appropriate will be made in your favour. If you require a payment to be made to a third party then you must con rm the required payee name and details and provide an explanation for your request. Market Security As an Independent Broker we use both UK and overseas Insurers to obtain the best terms and conditions available for clients. However, the levels of regulation vary in each jurisdiction and if Non-EU or Non-UK Insurers participate in insurance contracts, the future ability of an insured to issue legal proceedings and/or execute judgement may also vary.

4 In selecting security a wide variety of factors including nancial statements of the Insurer in question are taken into account However, we cannot guarantee the future ability of any Insurer to meet policyholder obligations and therefore the nal decision on the suitability of any Insurer rests with you. If you have any concerns about the security offered please contact us immediately to discuss the matter further Data Protection and Con dentiality NWBIB Ltd will treat any information received by us from you with the utmost respect and, where appropriate, in accordance with data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Acts1984 and Information provided by you, or, which is obtained from other sources in the course of our dealings with you, may be used by NWBIB Ltd to facilitate the provision of the services applied for or requested. For this purpose we may share your data with third parties. We may use providers which may involve, without limitation, carrying out credit checks to verify identity and for the detection and prevention of crime and fraud &/or for the provision of premium nance. One Broker Ltd is the holding company of NW BIB Ltd and you agree from time to time we may disclose your information to other entities owned by One Broker Ltd. We may use this information that we hold about you to offer you other services that we think might be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive information about these services please advise the Compliance Of cer, KTIB, Lakeside 300, Old Chapel Way, Broadland Business Park, Norwich NR7 0WG. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are entitled to a copy of your personal data held by us upon written request and payment of a fee. We will take appropriate steps to make sure that any money, documents, other property or information that we handle or hold for you is secure. Complaints If at any time you have a complaint about the services that we provide for you, then you should initially contact us by phone, fax, or in writing. Please address your complaint to the Compliance Of cer at the above address. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly, explain how we will handle your complaint and indicate when you may expect our reply. We will keep you reasonably informed as to the progress but will provide a formal written response after eight weeks from receipt of the original complaint. If the complaint cannot be resolved within this timescale we will write with an explanation as to the progress and the likely timescale involved. If you are dissatis ed with our nal decision you may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman service at Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London, E14 9GE. www. nancial-ombusdsman.org.uk. Tel (calls to this number are normally free from a " xed line" phone, but charges may apply if you call from a mobile phone) or (calls to this number are charged at the same rate as 01 or 02 numbers on mobile phone tariffs). In the event that your complaint relates to activities or services provided by another party, we will ensure that your complaint is appropriately forwarded in writing, and will track the progress of the complaint and responses of that party

5 Compensation You may be entitled to compensation if we cannot meet our obligations due to insolvency. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme may arrange to transfer your policy to another insurer, provide a new policy or provide compensation. You can get more information from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme at 10th Floor Beaufort House, 15 St Botolph Street, London, EC3A 7QU : Tel Our Limit of Liability To the extent permitted by law, our liability for losses suffered by you as a direct consequence of any negligent performance of our services shall be limited to 5,000,000 per claim. In respect of any other claim arising out of our performance or non-performance of the services our liability shall be limited to the amount of commission and fees which we have received for arranging your insurance during the 12 months prior to such claim arising. We shall not be liable to you for any economic loss, loss of pro t or loss of business (whether direct or indirect) which arise out of or in connection with this agreement. Nothing in this paragraph excludes or limits our liability for death or bodily injury caused by our negligence or for loss caused by our fraud, wilful misrepresentation or breach of our regulatory obligations owed to you. Money Laundering/Proceeds of Crime Act UK money laundering regulations may require us to obtain evidence of the identity of clients for whom we act at the start of a business relationship. This might, for example, be evidenced by sight of a current signed passport and two utility bills/bank statements. For companies (other than listed ones) evidence of identity will usually comprise a copy of the certi cate of incorporation, a list of directors, a list of shareholders and the registered address. We are obliged to report to the National Criminal Intelligence Service any evidence or suspicion of money laundering at the rst opportunity and we are prohibited from disclosing any such report. Governing Law and Language Used In respect of policies issued in England and Wales, these Terms and Conditions of Trading will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of England and Wales and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales The English language will be used for all communications, the contractual terms and conditions, and any information we are required to supply to you, before and during the duration of the contract. Important Information for Personal Lines Customers (consumers) Only Your Right to Cancel You have a legal right to cancel your policy or credit agreement for any reason, subject to no claims having occurred, within 14 days of receiving the full terms & conditions. You will always be advised where this Right applies. A charge will apply for the period of cover provided and, in addition, we make an administration charge as detailed above. If you cancel a credit agreement you will need to repay any sums provided in full

6 and make alternative arrangements to pay your premium. If you wish to cancel a policy you must advise us in writing, prior to expiry of the 14-day cancellation period, to our usual of ce address. Consumers' Responsibility to Provide Information You must take reasonable care to answer all questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge, and if you volunteer any other information, you must ensure that the information is not misleading. If any information that you have provided to us changes before you take out your insurance, during the life of the policy or at renewal, you must inform us of the change. If you deliberately, recklessly or carelessly misrepresent any information in relation to this insurance then your policy may be cancelled without refund, or treated as if it never existed, or your claim rejected or not fully paid. It is your responsibility to provide complete and accurate information to insurers when you take out your insurance policy, throughout the life of your policy, and when you renew your insurance. It is important that you ensure that all statements you make on proposal forms, statements of fact, claim forms and other documents are full and accurate. Please note that if you fail to disclose any information or change in circumstances to your insurers which could in uence the cost, or their decision to accept your insurance, this could mean that your policy is invalidated or cancelled without refund or that part or all of a claim may be not be paid. TOBA/Client/V24 Information For Commercial Customers Only Prior to the conclusion of each insurance contract, or upon renewal, we will remind commercial policyholders of their right to be advised of the level of commission which we receive from underwriters. You are entitled, at any time, to request information regarding any commission which we may have received as a result of placing your insurance business. Commercial Customers' Duty to Give Information